Commissioners Dennis Damato, Ronald Kitchen, Joe Meek, Scott Adams,
and Scott Carnahan unanimously passed a ban-fracking ordinance. The
ordinance was amended to include all the county, both incorporated
and non-incorporated areas, skillfully inserted by the able and
prepared county attorney Denise A. Dymond Lyn.

“No fracking!” said the students, as
nine people protested outside Sabal Trail’s Contractor Fair at RiverOak Technical College, Live Oak, Suwannee County, Florida yesterday, 20 April 2016.
SpectraBusters, Suwannee-St Johns Group of Sierra Club Florida, and WWALS were
among the groups with members on the ground, with the other groups listed on
the flyer we were passing out there in spirit to say
Short­term jobs are not worth long­term Sabal Trail risk.
Here’s
the press release, which was
picked up by
Valdosta Today.

Live Oak, FL, April 18, 2016 — Local residents and half a
dozen environmental organizations want applicants at Sabal Trail
pipeline job fairs to know a job for a few weeks isn’t worth risking
drinking water for all our families and children and grandchildren.
Opponents of the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline and supporters
of solar power include the Suwannee-St Johns Sierra Club Group, St
Johns Riverkeeper, WWALS Watershed Coalition, Our Santa Fe River,
Earth Ethics, Gulf Restoration Network, and SpectraBusters.

Carlton Fletcher’s story, “Dougherty County leaders OK
inevitable agreement on pipeline” on March 21, presented only
one part of the current story on the Sabal Trail pipeline. There are
two schools of thought on the Sabal Trail pipeline: those who
believe construction of the pipeline is inevitable, and those who
believe the pipeline can and should be prevented, and are working
hard to do so. No one, in either group, believes it is needed in
Georgia.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Live Oak, FL, January 12, 2016 — Stepping up its support for local and larger groups opposing the proposed Sabal Trail pipeline, this Saturday Sierra Club is hosting a meeting culminating in a hike to the Suwannee River to see where Spectra Energy of Houston, Texas proposes to drill under the iconic Suwannee River into Suwannee River State Park. Media are invited to see people from Florida and south Georgia stand up for our rivers and our Floridan Aquifer.

The excuse for Spectra’s Sabal Trail pipeline is new natural gas
electric generating units in Florida. FPL calls this “modernizing“, which is an odd word for using 20th century fossil fuels when 21st century solar power, conservation, and efficiency is ready right now for the Sunshine State.
Adding to their opposition to LNG export, the Sierra Club Board of Directors has adopted this new policy:

“Natural Gas: The Sierra Club opposes new electric generating
units powered by natural gas, including peaking and combined cycle
units. Consistent with the Board’s goal of eliminating all fossil
fuels from the electric sector no later than 2030, it is critical
that the US avoid further high-capital investments in new natural
gas plants and related infrastructure.”

President Obama’s denial of the proposed 1,179-mile pipeline, which
would have carried 800,000 barrels a day of carbon-heavy petroleum
from the Canadian oil sands to the Gulf Coast, comes as he is
seeking to build an ambitious legacy on climate change.

“The pipeline would not make a meaningful longterm
contribution to our economy,” Mr. Obama said in remarks from the
White House.